Character Sheet
Name: Miriam Green
Shadow Name: Morata
Age: Sixteen.
Gender: Female

Path: Mastigos.
Gnosis: 3
Mana: 4/12
Wisdom: 7

Arcana: Mind 3, Space 2, Fate 1, (In Progress) Spirit 1

Aspirations: Unlock the Secrets of the Fire.

Obsessions:

Virtue: Faith
Vice: Curiosity

Health: 8/8
Willpower: 7/7
Defense: 2
Destiny (Merit): 4/4

XP: 0
Arcane XP: 1

Attributes:

Strength 3, Dexterity 2*, Stamina 3
Presence 2*, Manipulation 2*, Composure 3*
Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 4

Aspects:

Promising High School Student (4): She's smart and well liked around school. In fact, she has a pretty good grasp of not merely the basics of high-school learning, but even the things that are up to the senior year. Beyond what a person might learn in a she's a little lost, and so there are limits as to the kinds of things she'd know about, but if it can be found in a textbook she might have read, she's probably read it. As well, she knows how to plan her time, to get along with other people at school and not get into fights, and otherwise do well in this respect. She's best at history.

Preacher's Daughter (3): Growing up with a father who tells the gospel word, you learn how to mimic the way he gives sermons, quote the bible chapter and verse, and know more than a little about how to interact with people and their religions, faiths, and how churches function. Whether it is mingling after church, being a sounding board for her father's sermons, or playing games that involve reciting long passages of the bible from memory, she is good at it.

*A Bit of a Tomboy (2): She's really at the age where you're supposed to outgrow this sort of thing, really. But she still likes climbing things, she still likes running around the school, she still knows a little about getting into a scrap, even if she hasn't actually gotten into a fight since...well, a few years. She's keen, athletic, and very, very interested in baseball (boo, Kansas City Monarchs, boo!) which she read about, not having a radio, and that being fledgling besides. In any wise, it certainly isn't fading with time, and it's given her a set of interests and hobbies that meshes quite interestingly with her obvious piety and (reasonably, mostly) obedient nature.

Breaker of Chains (2): Abraham Lincoln was a swell guy, in her opinion. Her own father's involvement in the NAACP and her engagement in High School history has made it so that she's actually surprisingly knowledgeable on race issues, and quite talkative about them in the right circumstances. She knows how to keep her mouth shut, of course, around older white men or the like, but she has her opinions and she wears them on her sleeve, and that includes knowing a lot of things most girls her age wouldn't know about, academically and otherwise.

A Practicing Mage (2): While Morata has a lot to learn, and has only been practicing magic for a short time, she is now fully settling into magical society. She knows the Orders, and more than that she is starting to understand both the personalities and how magic truly works. It is a long journey, but she has taken another step forward.

Can We Keep Him? (1): She has had dogs and cats before, and currently has one of each, which she of course does all of the work taking care of, because her mom said that if she had to deal with that, she'd throw them out. She has a bit of a way with animals, and after the third or fourth stray, also with people and convincing them to go along with her quite innocent and well-meaning requests.

Problem Solver (1): Kids in her neighborhood and at school tend to trust and like her, or at least she's tried to be liked, and even go to her for help sometimes, whether of an academic nature or just to see what she has to say. She's not exactly a local guru or anything, but she's clever and tends to be able to help people with minor problems, or dispense advice, even if that advice is often enough 'Really, you should tell your parents, they're gonna find out, you know, and if they find out and you didn't tell them, they'll cane your hide raw.'

Sneaking The Cookie Jar (1): She's not a dishonest person, but being someone with a lot of friends means that you sometimes know how to lie for them, and more than that, that you know a little about sneaking an extra quarter here and there. Whenever caught she's full of contrition, and more than that she's not a fundamentally dishonest person, but...well, she knows plenty of people who deserve an extra cookie every now and then.

Mother's Teachings (1): Her mother has tried to at least teach her the basics of cooking, cleaning, and keeping house. The logic that she'll probably need it if she goes to college has been pretty persuasive, and while there are gaps, she's quite self-sufficient when it comes to balancing a budget or all of the other things a modern woman is expected to do, as far as it goes. She's best at cooking meat, and her recipes are all pretty simple, but it's food that'll fill a belly, and that's the most important thing.

To Dream A Dream (1): Morata has become a truly expert in the magic of dreams, and indeed has begun to truly explore what Demons and other denizens of the Astral can and will do. This is merely an extrapolation of what she can already do, hence the discount. Special: Can use Arcane XP for this.

Powers--

Mage Sight (Peripheral, Active, and Focused): She seems to be able to see something that others cannot. Magic itself, and her eyes seem especially attuned to distances and the spaces between things, as well as the minds of other people.

Mage Armor: Mind, Space

Mind 3, Space 2, Fate 2 (In Progress up from 1)

Spirit 1 (Will complete in two weeks)

Rotes--

Dividing the Mind (Mind 1): A rote to divide the mind in two, this means that it has extra reach to add to duration and so on, and that there is a two-dice Yantra that can be done to add to the power of the spell. Involves imagining the split in her mind to enact it.

Scholar's Little Helper (Mind 1): Scholarship is hard work, and it's often difficult to sift through a five-hundred page book on Astral adventures for the single passage on a threatening Goetic demon that's currently ripping the rest of the Cabal apart. Plus, cross-referencing other works can be difficult. Through this tiny little rote, the caster can input a word, phrase, or topic, mentally, and essentially search the book just by holding it up to the light, copying knowledge of what was said in those passages and the passage surround it into their brain without having to search. It does not grant perfect understanding, and sometimes the section requires context to make any sense, but it can save weeks on a big scholarship project. (Rote Mudra, Promising Student, +4) Reach: With each additional Reach, you can search an additional book in the same spell; You can absorb the entirety of the contents of the book, if not always parse its meaning, as if you read the entire book in the instants it took to cast the spell, cover to cover. It may take some hours of thinking and consideration to fully parse the contents, and of course at times understanding and applying it can be more difficult: but an entire book read in less than a second is still something.

Strengthen Mind (Mind 3): It does not, obviously, only effect the intellect, but any aspect of one's mind can be made sharper, as can one's social abilities. The key to doing this, or rather the Mystagogue form of it, involves closing one's eyes and pressing one's fingers against your forehead, as if trying to stimulate thought by motion. When you open your eyes, the spell should be cast. You cannot improve your mind or social abilities to superhuman levels (Rote Mudra: Promising Student, +4), Reach: You may divide the 'Potency' of the spell, eg: Potency 4, enhance Intelligence by 1, Wits by 2, and Resolve by 1; spend a point of Mana: temporarily, for as long as the spell lasts, Attributes can reach supernatural levels.

Scholar's Protection (Mind 3): Adapted from a famous Silver Ladder rote, this grants protection ot the humble scholar. They make a sign with their hands as if their hands are books, their palms pages, and then so long as they neither attack or order an attack, others struggle to gather up the will to attack them. If they do order an attack, or attack themselves, the spell automatically fails… but only for the target, and not any others. Automatons, or beings without thought are immune, but this potent spell makes it so that anyone with a Resolve less than their Mind +1 cannot bring themselves to attack. Those that can still feel hesitation, and it is as if the Mage has two points of Armor. Supernatural beings have an advantage: if they have a supernatural trait, they get +1 to the comparison of Resolve versus Mind, if it is equal to the Mage's, they get +2, and if it is greater, they get +3… even then, a weak-willed but powerful supernatural being might find themselves frozen in fear and doubt. (Rote Mudra: Promising Student, +4) Reach: Spend 1 Mana, the spell may now last for an entire day; You may spend Reach to increase the difficulty of overcoming the Protection, once; Attackers lose 10-again on rolls to attack someone, if that person has willpowered through the magic.

The Dedicated Will of the Just (Mind 3): A spell taught to her by her Uncle, it is in some ways an extension of previous spells. By touching the forehead and spreading one's fingers across it, yours or others, when someone grits their teeth and uses their will, they find it stretching out, like hitting a high note and holding it for longer than a single action, based on the power of the spell. (Rote Mudra, Preacher's Daughter +3) Reach: Willpower when spent can add +2 to all resistance traits; Willpower spent both increases one's ability to endure, and one's ability to 'act'; By spending a Mana, the caster can imagine the benediction and thus enact it in a single breath on themselves or any target, as fast as the speed of thought.

Determined Will (Mind 2): The Mystagogue must go through many hardships for knowledge. Whatever a materialist thinks, anyone experienced in Mind magic knows that willpower exists, and so by a series of invisible taps against either their own or--imagined--someone else's skull. By doing so the Mage can make sure that when they, or others, gather their will for a great task, as long as it isn't magic they will get a bonus to the will-enhanced roll (9-again.) (Rote Mudra: Preacher's Daughter, +3: Inspire others and inspire yourself), Reach: The bonus can be increased; the bonus might be able to be used even to enhance magic, strengthening the will that brings itself to bear in casting a spell.



The Bonds of Fate (Fate 1): It is one thing to look at someone and see them, it is another to be able to look at them and see the destinities, the curses, the broken oaths and more that mark their soul and their persons. Mystagogues imagine a cobweb of connections and strands of fate itself, and carefully reach out a finger to tap at the edges of the cobweb without breaking it, to see what creeps up. (Mudra: Can We Keep Him? (+1), the spider spins its web.) Reach: The Mage can know when someone is possessed, mind controlled, or otherwise has their destiny majorly influenced; the Mage can tell someone's Destiny and Doom, can know when the curse they're affected by will be lifted, or so on.

The Unusual Path (Fate 1) : Fate itself can sometimes intervene in small ways. Through this spell, a Mystagogue can state a goal and then receive omens, sometimes faint and contradictory, on how to begin working towards it… and can even allow them to match strength with strength: subtly twisting fate so that their talents are just the right ones needed to advance upon the goal. Miriam uses it to occasionally leverage her way through a tricky social situation. The Mudra involves tugging on strands and pulling them in with a flip of a hand, as if examining something. (Rote Mudra: Problem Solver, +1) Reach: Can substitute any skill needed while under the spell for another within the same category, e.g. the character's religious passion turns out to be just what it might take to convince the homeless person to tell you where the body is hid, instead of a skill involving the streets or crime; Can, if taken further, substitute any skill for any other skill: your athletic prowess intimidates the homeless man, your knowledge of petty trivia charms the high society lady you need to steal from.



] No Shackles For The Scholar (Space 2): A Mystagogue cannot be stopped merely by a locked door, or being chained up above a pit of sharks while a villain monologues about how the Secret of the Amazon will die with them. So by imagining their own escape, and circling around that thought a few times as fast as possible, they can affect it. Any one barrier: locked door, handcuffs, barred window, or so on is fine… though it cannot get one through a bouncer or through fire. It can also be cast on an object, such as if you want to push a macguffin through a locked door and then face the enemy yourself. (Rote Mudra: Breaker of Chains, +2), Reach: Can pass through even shackles or objects they could not move through, such as being chained up, or trapped in a coffin, or anything else; subject can squeeze through narrow gaps that they should not physically be able to make it through: you can in fact drive a car through an open front door half its width if you cast this spell on it.
Merits--

(**) 'Profession'--Student
1--Gain 9-again on any roll that can be justified as having to do with one's profession.
2--Gain two dots of Contacts related to one's 'profession.'
3--+1 to rolls against any mental, physical or social stress that might get in the way of performing one's profession.[1] This cannot create a positive bonus.

4--8-again on rolls.
5--One special bonus based on the nature of the 'profession.

[1] Okay, in this case, imagine the college student who is good enough at class that he can show up hungover and still get something out of class, or the athlete who can go out not feeling 100% and still actually manage not to fuck everything up forever, even if he's not putting in his best performance.

(***) Parents: It may seem absurd to say it, but having parents in the picture who can help solve moderate problems is a boon. Obviously the drawback is that if they get involved and it's over her head, it could end badly, and that more than that, they obviously are sure they know best, but asking Mom or Dad is totally an option available to her, and one that can enlist their aid and ask their advice.

(***) Contacts:

She has contacts with both People She Knows At Church, a broad group but in some ways self-selecting, and among those kids she knows around the neighborhood, as well as People At School. People are willing to talk to her, ask her advice, and that goes both ways, doesn't it? If she wants to ask around, she could certainly do worse than asking when she's at church, with someone inclined to see her well already.

Egregore--Mysteriorum Arche (•): In a teamwork spellcasting roll in which the character is participating, she does not suffer the –3 penalty to contribute without the necessary Arcanum rating, and adds an automatic success if a full participant. All members of the ritual team must possess this Merit.

(*)Language: Latin

She knows Latin, read and spoken.

(*) Order Status (Mysterium)

She has been initiated in the first mystery of the Mystagogues.

(*) High Speech

She can use High Speech as a Yantra in spellcasting, and knows enough to be (roughly) conversational outside of the very formal language of Spellcasting.

(*) Egregore

1) In a teamwork spell in which she participates, she doesn't take -3 to the roll if she couldn't cast the spell on her own, and if she can she adds an automatic success to her dice roll for the purpose of granting the ritual leader the bonus dice. However, everyone involved in the ritual must have this level of Egregore. This represents her connection to magic, and through it, others of the Order.

(*) Resources:

She has a little bit of spending money saved up. Not much at all, but it's something. And it's more than a lot of people have, and so she knows to be grateful for it.

(****) Destiny

Effect: Miriam does not yet know the specifics, but she is destined for greatness and yet also doomed in some way.

Currently at 4/4.

(***) Astral Adept: Can enter the Astral far easier, by paying just a WP and meditating.

(***) True Friend (Virginia)

Effect: Miriam has a true friend. True Friend represents a trusting relationship that cannot be easily breached. Unless Miriam really does something to deserve it (really, really) Virginia will not betray her, and I, the QM, has to go easy on her in terms of throwing her into danger. Slightly kid gloves with her, as part of an implicit contract, though that does not mean that Miriam's mistakes or actions might not involve her in deeper problems than she should be facing. And any roll, natural or supernatural, that has the purpose of influencing Virginia against Miriam takes a 5-dice penalty. Additionally, once per...let's say week, Miriam can regain a point of Willpower by having a meaningful/heartfelt/important interaction with Virginia.

Consilium Status (*): Consilium--Increasingly she is a known entity, someone whose existence is no secret at all and whose fame is even harder to deny.

Contacts: Vampires (1)--Her work with vampires means she has a greater awareness of where she can go to talk to them, especially once she thinks through what she saw.

Allies (1): Guardians of the Veil--In the aftermath of yet another Interview with a Vampire, she has been contacted by the Guardians of the Veil, who are curious and who are willing to trade curiosity for curiosity.

Trained Memory (1): She has trained her mind to be something like a steel trap, though perhaps rather more effective than that, all things considered: steel traps can rust, because outside of stressful moments she never needs to roll to remember anything… she just remembers, and without Magic at all.

Minor Elements:

--Having studied a Spirit Bestiary, Miriam is now more able to tell some common spirits apart, even without using magic, and can call up basic facts about said common spirits.
--Has the Memories of a vampire in her head, which can be examined/considered later.
 
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I had a feeling that going around helping would uncover one of our friends from school given the narrative it presents, so that was nice to find out. I wonder whether those white men going around the slaughterhouse are relevant to Mage society given the interest, or if it was just the labor/union movement. Who knows given how the Seers have been mentioned to have infiltrated great sects of society, it could very well be both.

--------------
[X] Plan Follow Up On Plot and Dream Stuff

[] Mind magic.
[] How to use Space and the nature of Sympathy.
[] Rotes.

Our character's arcana are mind and space so this gives us a solid foundation in understanding our current skills, and rotes are needed to know for a Mage and should synergy with the book option down below.

[] "A discussion is being held, not usually open to everyone, but I can get an invite. A Mysterium scholar is discussing a new field he's...invented, I suppose. 'Dream Archaeology.'
[] "Perhaps I need to confront Valkyrie directly. Maybe with you there, we could get to the bottom of this matter. That Guardian, if she interfered…"

I've gone with the Dream Archology option as it seems like one of the time limited options, and also because it should synergy with various options I'm taking this turn. It works well with Miriam's Astral Adept trait, it works well with Miriam reading the book of dreams, and that book came from Virginia and given the amount of narrative spent on her nature she's likely some part dream demon which should give us confidence in it's quality. Interacting with Virginia itself could also provide a benefit.

I've gone with confronting Valkyrie directly to follow up on the original plot point of our Father meeting with those Mage's in his church, and which influenced our awakening. It's quite likely to be important in some way.

[] Read a book!
-[] The book of Life and Mind 'rotes' whatever that is.
-[] The psychological book of dreams Virginia found.
[] Introduce Jack to Virginia in a way that will allow him to check.

Follow up on the books we've acquired and actually take the relevant actions to read them. The Life and Mind rotes should aid us in the rotes action at the top, and actually reading the book Virginia gave us should help when we socialize with her and introduce Jack particularly given her suspected nature.

Introducing Jack also follows up a plot point, as well as investigates Miriam's current obsession which is to find out her nature. Given Miriam just found out her friend had been compromised by magic, narratively she should be wanting to check this out ASAP and make sure Virginia isn't in any danger.
 
[X] Plan Romv
Teachings (Choose 2+1 (Temporary Resolve boost))
[] Mind magic.
[] Tools and Yantra.
[] Rotes.

Meeting With People (Choose 1+1 (Temporary Resolve boost))
[] "Perhaps I need to confront Valkyrie directly. Maybe with you there, we could get to the bottom of this matter. That Guardian, if she interfered…"
[] "A discussion is being held, not usually open to everyone, but I can get an invite. A Mysterium scholar is discussing a new field he's...invented, I suppose. 'Dream Archaeology.'

During the Week (Choose 3)
[] (.9x) Explore back into her mind, and perhaps the minds of others.
-[] (.9x) Perhaps find a way into Virginia's mind some night, to see what's going on there. She might find answers.
[] Read a book!
-[] The psychological book of dreams Virginia found.
[] Invite Dickens over for dinner. He sure could use it.
 
Good chapter. Been a while since I read everything in one sitting tuning out all the interruptions . Maybe it's because it hit a bit close to home.

Too late to come up with a new plan, eh? I'll try anyway.

[x]Plan Hanging out with Friends
-[X] Mind magic.
-[X] Tools and Yantra.
-[X] Rotes.

-[X] "Cleopatra is a powerful Mage of the Silver Ladder, and knows things that it is well worth knowing. She would no doubt be delighted to speak to you."
-[x] "A discussion is being held, not usually open to everyone, but I can get an invite. A Mysterium scholar is discussing a new field he's...invented, I suppose. 'Dream Archaeology.'

-[X] Read a book!
--[x] The psychological book of dreams Virginia found.
-[x] Invite Dickens over for dinner. He sure could use it.
-[x] Ronald can see magic, and so can is father. Let him in on the secret of her nature, and see what they have to say. Perhaps they even have advice?

I want Mysterium, and I want to see Ronald. I also want to find out more about Virginia, either directly or indirectly. Any plan willing to accommodate that will have my support. I think Zeitgeist and Romv come closest, but not quite. Willing to integrate with anyone who swaps a couple options. :)
 
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Blah, didn't get to this till now. Hope my vote can still be counted.

Loved this chapter—what a shock to find Dickens there. Thought she handled it super well. We have a backlog a mile long of things we need to do, but Miriam tends to focus on things that are closer to her present, so I think Dickens has to be in any plan that she enacts. Excited to learn more things next week.

[X] Plan Hanging out with Friends
 
Vote Tally : The Roaring Age (nWoD) | Page 62 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.10.1

[X] Mind magic.
No. of Votes: 10

[X] Tools and Yantra.
No. of Votes: 10

[X] Rotes.
No. of Votes: 10

[X] Read a book!
No. of Votes: 10

[X] "Gabriel Breda is the leader of The Uprising, as I have told you. I've mentioned him to you."
No. of Votes: 8

-[x] The book of Life and Mind 'rotes' whatever that is.
No. of Votes: 8

[X] "A discussion is being held, not usually open to everyone, but I can get an invite. A Mysterium scholar is discussing a new field he's...invented, I suppose. 'Dream Archaeology.'
No. of Votes: 8

[X] Talk to the Folk about their beliefs.
No. of Votes: 6

[X] Introduce Jack to Virginia in a way that will allow him to check.
No. of Votes: 6

[X] "Cleopatra is a powerful Mage of the Silver Ladder, and knows things that it is well worth knowing. She would no doubt be delighted to speak to you."
No. of Votes: 4

-[x] The psychological book of dreams Virginia found.
No. of Votes: 4

-[x] The book of philosophy.
No. of Votes: 2

[x] Invite Dickens over for dinner. He sure could use it.
No. of Votes: 2

[x] Ronald can see magic, and so can is father. Let him in on the secret of her nature, and see what they have to say. Perhaps they even have advice?
No. of Votes: 2

[X] Plan Zeitgeist
No. of Votes: 2

[X] Plan Follow Up On Plot and Dream Stuff
No. of Votes: 1

[X] Plan Romv
No. of Votes: 1

Total No. of Voters: 14

Vote Tally : The Roaring Age (nWoD) | Page 62 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.10.1

[X] Plan A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
-[X] Mind magic.
-[X] Tools and Yantra.
-[X] Rotes.
-[X] "A discussion is being held, not usually open to everyone, but I can get an invite. A Mysterium scholar is discussing a new field he's...invented, I suppose. 'Dream Archaeology.'
-[X] "Gabriel Breda is the leader of The Uprising, as I have told you. I've mentioned him to you."
-[X] Read a book!
--[X] The book of Life and Mind 'rotes' whatever that is.
-[X] Talk to the Folk about their beliefs.
-[X] Introduce Jack to Virginia in a way that will allow him to check.
No. of Votes: 6

[x]Plan Backlog
-[X] Mind magic.
-[X] Tools and Yantra.
-[X] Rotes.
-[X] "Cleopatra is a powerful Mage of the Silver Ladder, and knows things that it is well worth knowing. She would no doubt be delighted to speak to you."
-[X] "Gabriel Breda is the leader of The Uprising, as I have told you. I've mentioned him to you."
-[X] Read a book!
--[x] The book of Life and Mind 'rotes' whatever that is.
--[x] The psychological book of dreams Virginia found.
--[x] The book of philosophy.
No. of Votes: 2

[x]Plan Hanging out with Friends
-[X] Mind magic.
-[X] Tools and Yantra.
-[X] Rotes.
-[X] "Cleopatra is a powerful Mage of the Silver Ladder, and knows things that it is well worth knowing. She would no doubt be delighted to speak to you."
-[x] "A discussion is being held, not usually open to everyone, but I can get an invite. A Mysterium scholar is discussing a new field he's...invented, I suppose. 'Dream Archaeology.'
-[X] Read a book!
--[x] The psychological book of dreams Virginia found.
-[x] Invite Dickens over for dinner. He sure could use it.
-[x] Ronald can see magic, and so can is father. Let him in on the secret of her nature, and see what they have to say. Perhaps they even have advice?
No. of Votes: 2

[X] Plan Zeitgeist
No. of Votes: 2

[X] Plan Follow Up On Plot and Dream Stuff
No. of Votes: 1

[X] Plan Romv
No. of Votes: 1

Total No. of Voters: 14
 
Page 23: Understanding, Knowing...
Page 23: Understanding, Knowing...

The summer sprawled out like a contented cat now. It was not quite so new anymore, no longer a kitten, and it was waxing hot and windy and humid, the kind of weather where the barbecuers (and there were stands now along the Strand, people selling down-south food for summering men and women) sweated and cursed the sun. It was a steady sort of heat, even so, and the nights were almost as warm as the days, or so it felt for those who weren't used to it.

This was her city, and to Miriam, this was what weather did, though that didn't stop her from sweating, or wishing that she didn't have to wear stockings with how the weather was. In the winter she wondered how the boys survived without stockings, but in the summer, especially when she was tearing at them every day, sliding and running around, they were an unbearable annoyance that, somehow, annoyed nobody but her. Virginia didn't complain, her mother didn't complain, and none of the other girls she knew seemed particularly bothered by it, which only made her wonder what she was missing.

And there, that was a thought to get one to open up the window for a little cooler air (just a little) and stare out into the darkness, peering out at the streetlights and the people walking under them, knowing that plenty of streets did not' have even that. There was the occasional straggler, looking tired and exhausted from work and sometimes drinking after work, moving slowly, their skin as dark as their shirts, soaked with sweat and exertion, and some nights, and nights even before she had magic, she'd peek out at them, curiously.

She had always felt some desire to know about other people, but it seemed only to grow, to become central now that she had magic. Now that she really could. And having taken a step towards being able to understand them, she suddenly found that there was this huge gap between what she had thought she knew and what she knew. It made her feel every inch of distance, in a way she hadn't before.

She'd felt it, of course. She'd apparently even wished for moments that she was a boy, just out of a frustrated desire to get out of these stupid stockings and the stupid confines that seemed to hem her in, but there was a difference. Or rather, she was starting to realize what was and wasn't usual, and what had seemed a normal affectation now made her wonder.

Just as she looked down at the night long enough that it seemed to have shape and form and distance, as if it were spitting out the next group of people. People leaivng for parties, dressed up, wearing makeup, or coming home from parties at all hours. People worked hard, and people partied hard, and she still judged them, still watched them and couldn't understand them.

But now it felt almost as if it was her problem. They seemed innocent and guilty all at once: innocent because she had seen what depths sin could fall into, and now drinking and partying seemed, while horrible, no longer the worst sins a person could engage in.

A mob was one thing, a mob wasn't a person, it was a collection of animals, or so she had thought, though perhaps now she'd be able to see into each mind, be able to understand what was going through that gestalt entity.

But it also seemed even more guilty, because who could know whether or not there wasn't magic on them right now? Who could know that when they went to a buffet flat, opened up for cards and alcohol and music, all to try to make some money to pay for rent, they weren't being hoodwinked, they weren't being turned into someone they weren't.

She'd missed everything wrong about how Sara was acting, and it made her feel like an idiot, a feeling she hadn't had in years. She'd always known her limits, but within them she'd had pride, a sin that couldn't quite be stamped out, in what she could understand.

But now she had to admit that there was so much more to learn, and not in the ways she'd thought about before. If she didn't understand other people, did she understand herself? So she watched them, and knew that she could dive back in. She could look at herself, and try to understand it.

Or she could go and visit Virginia, or one of her friends. The world was open for exploration, and so staying up was in some ways an abrogation of duties she could be doing. But instead, she stayed up, rubbing her eyes, and began to read a book she'd gotten some time ago.

******

A healthy mind and a healthy body are not the same thing, but they can be. They stand together, as four pillars might hold up a building. And thus this is the book of four pillars. It contains four ways to understand and improve one's health in mind and body, and in each chapter we shall talk about one of them. This is a text for the beginner, and also for the expert seeking fresh understanding, and so we shall begin with the simplest question of all.

What is it to be sound of mind?


It spoke about the nature of insanity, the way that some psychologists had located it in the nature of past stresses. The actions of one's childhood, even things one couldn't remember, made one who they were today. And so by thinking about a person's past, by imagining turning a page of their story to see how it came to be, a person could examine their present. More specifically, they could look at the shape of their mind, how intelligent they were, and also how their self had been shaped.

It went on in depth about the various sorts of madness. How one man might see what wasn't there, while another might think what wasn't true, the way that this madness marred the smooth perfection of a man, or at least their understanding, and that as a learned person, it was one's responsibility to understand these infirmities to avoid them.

And then it began to talk about how to imagine it, how to put it all together combined with a gesture, the flipping of a page, that could be easily hidden, and yet made so much sense. It was, she realized, a way to more easily understand a spell. A thousand small tricks that all seemed to combine in one action, in a spell done just so. Doing just that, and no more...and yet that 'no more' was still something.

The second chapter spoke of the way that a mind had only so much time, the way a person could only do so much, and yet also the way that a principle in the previous chapter could be applied in a way that would benefit her.

The medical term was schizophrenia, split mind, and it was a disease, a weakness. And yet in understanding it, and in getting at the heart of the madness and the madmen that might later be treated, though the book didn't promise that, one could understand how to use this principle as a basic method to…

It was complex, this one, and seemed to function as part of her understanding of the mind, which was still rather slim, but…

She fell asleep reading, and woke up the next morning clutching it, ready to continue. Two more rotes, apparently, and by the time her uncle came to tell her about them, she could almost guess what he would say.

******

"They're mnemonics, right?" she asked, "Ways to do a spell that help you remember the details?" Because it really was far more difficult than it should be, pulling together all of the elements of a spell, imagining in exact details what she wanted to do. Ambiguity was something that she knew could make a spell fail, and of course once it failed once, you were rushed to try it again, unless there was plenty of time, and so it made it only more likely that she'd make a mistake. Honestly, for every spell she got off, there was at least one failure, on average.

And while that was fine for now, she thought, leaning against the back wall, sitting on her bed with the book to the side, it wouldn't be okay later. She was stretched out a little, hand smoothing down her skirt, and her uncle was pacing back and forth, face thoughtful.

"Exactly, rotes are just that, and that means you can do a lot more. Stretch the limits of what a spell can do because you're not thinking about the details. It makes paradox less likely, for one, at least paradox from making the spell too complicated and messing it up somewhere. It still doesn't stop a Sleeper from seeing it and messing everything up, but--" he shrugged, smiling a little, "So, each rote helps you remember how to do it, but there are other such devices. That's what Yantra are, most famously tools. Anything that you can wield, you can incorporate into a spell. But you have to incorporate it. Rotes involve movements, whether with the eyes or hands or even just tensing your body a certain way. That means you can't do it as subtly as you might."

"That makes sense," Miriam said, thinking about it as she leaned forward a little, tapping her chin, "But one can already see the nimbus of another spellcaster, right, so it's not like it's that different, is it?"

"That's a very good point," Jack said, with a shrug. He set down the bag he was carrying, bending down as he did. "So, there are many different types of Yantras. It's a word that, in India, means something like a mystic diagram, a mystic device in the language known as Sanskrit. And that's what each one is. There's nothing necessarily special about Yantras on their own. My carpet bag has no magical properties except the ones I bring to it. I'm the one that's magical. But each Yantra has a meaning. Imagine, say, that you have a magical wand. What does that mean?"

"Power? Control?" Miriam asked, not entirely sure.

"It could. Different people feel that different things are symbolized differently, but like the shadow on the wall, what matters is that the symbolism has power. If I imagine a wand as a tool to aim or direct something, than only spells which are aimed can be enhanced with it. If I imagine it, say, to symbolize maleness, as some say--"

He seemed awkward, saying this, and she understood. After all, she was a niece, and he'd always tried to not talk about things that would be awkward for the both of them.

"Then you could use it for a spell involving that?" she asked, frowning.

"Possibly, possibly. It all depends on what you're able to justify to yourself, when you're trying to use it. And of course, the more Yantras you use, the more time it takes to focus. Seconds spent winding up for the pitch means that someone can predict what you're doing, but when the alternative is failing the spell," he shrugged.

Miriam nodded. "What are examples of Yantra?"

"A demesne, a place of magic and power, can be used, but so can the environment. During a thunderstorm, calling down lightning is far easier, for instance, and a church might be a place where one can better cast, if one tries, spells to persuade people, or make them aware of something higher," he said, "And so the active Mage searches for these ways to incorporate details, and in a ritual, they have even more time to pick and choose such things. But when in a rush...I can eventually teach you how to use High Speech to empower your spells with their authority, and similarly if you learn how to write Atlantean, you might, say, write down a rune."

"Carve one?" she asked.

"Yes. But then the spell relies on it. If you paint a rune of protection on a house, then if the rune is washed away, so is the spell."

Miriam nodded, noting all of this down. It seemed complicated, but seemed to make sense. "And tools?"

"I actually had a few more things to note down that I might write down for you, about sympathetic connection and sacrificing things for a spell, but...I did have something I wanted to show you. There are several types of tools, and each is their own yantra, as I said. It has its own symbolism, it takes time and work to make it all make sense, but…"

He opened his bag and pulled out a hand mirror. It was far more ornate than she was used to, the kind of thing Virginia would have. It was wrought iron, a pattern of flowers in bloom all along the back, hints of brass for color, and other materials as well, expensive looking enough that she wondered why her uncle had it. "Many female mages carry the mirror in a purse. It's one of the five traditional tools of a Mage's path. Mastigos tools are in bronze and iron, stark and beautiful. I know this is not the sort of thing you would normally carry, even when you have a purse, but it's not that big, so perhaps you can find a use for it."

He walked over to her and handed her it, and then said, "Try, say, reflecting my image, and then imagining doing something with me. Some sort of magic. And then see how much easier it is."

She looked down at the mirror, angling it to catch him, wondering at it, and thinking about Virginia. "I've invited Virginia over," Miriam said quietly, "I went to her place earlier this morning." The morning was almost shaded over into afternoon. "Asked if she'd like some northern lunch, and to talk a little."

"Ah, good, I'll go down and look, then. When will she get here?"

"Very, very soon," Miriam said, glancing down at the mirror and then up at him and tilting it a little, trying to imagine his thoughts, the feelings and sensations that were making it up, and the mirror, it showed one's soul.

Or at least, that felt like something it could do. It was not her mirror, though. It felt unfamiliar and strange to her, the idea of using it. But then what was she? This was an elaborate mirror, like a princess might have, though without the gems and gold that stories had them draped in, everything about them. There was something common about the tool, despite the elaboration, as if its very material was defying its beauty, or perhaps defining it, telling the world that it was all a construct.

Built up, like a human mind, in the image of God just as much or more elaborate devices. And then she felt it, his thoughts seemingly almost etched on the mirror, though when she moved it away, she could still feel them. The low hum of words, of meaning. A flash of pride in her, a moment where he was composing a speech. 'The mind is…'

Something. What it was, she thought, standing up, was fascinating. She was starting to understand this better, the way that the mind could be understood, the way that it might be changed. It wasn't a sin, not if it was done in kindness. She imagined being able to calm an angry, drunk man, or to think two or even three things at once. A part of her was curious what it'd be like, to be someone different, or to be more skilled at socializing, and another part was curious about the nature of mind, of memories.

Hearing his thoughts, feeling them before he'd say it, only made her more and more desirous. She knew that there were limits, and she'd stay in them, she swore, but it wouldn't hurt to peek a little. She knew that this road might lead somewhere bad, eventually, but it seemed so amazing, such a fascinating thing to examine and think about.

And so when she followed her Uncle down, she thought of those people she didn't understand out there, and she thought of the poor people struggling, whose challenges she sometimes did not fully comprehend until she'd more fully realized what Dickens was going through. That was a bad thing, that was a thing she could change. That was a thing she would change: it was wrong not to. Wrong...and also a little boring.

*******

Virginia was down there, talking to her mother, pretty and vibrant, though also on the defensive. Her hair, the fact that even now she was wearing makeup, her clothes, the skirt-line quite modern, all of it clashed with what her mother, Eliza, thought proper. And yet it wasn't nearly so pointed as it had been with Uncle Jack.

She respected Virginia's circumstances, or perhaps there was something they shared. There was the commonality of their womanhood, perhaps, or the fact that Jack's own rootlessness contrasted with the way that she'd devoted her life to being a mother and caretaker. She'd done something that Miriam didn't know whether she'd be able to do. Something that she was afraid might be beyond her, almost broken in some small, hard to notice way.

Virginia, on the other hand? She wasn't broken at all. She looked up at her uncle, who had stopped on the top stair as she passed him.

"Hrm?" she asked, turning up, even as Virginia saw her and let out a cry, racing to give her a greeting hug.

She hugged Virginia back, squeezing her tight and lifting the girl off her feet, "Hey! Man, what do they feed you at your aunt's? How's the summer been going, the hair's going to actually go back to normal, right?"

"It's already getting there," Virginia said with a frown, touching her hair, "I really should do something with it, and--"

She was looking at her Uncle.

He mouthed, "Demon child" without making a sound, and she could read it.

Oh.

Though, the truth was, as she chatted with Virginia, she didn't know what it meant. Just another thing she didn't understand. But would, one day.

What does she do about it?

[] Let it wait for the moment, since it might not mean anything, or rather...perhaps it's best just to be polite with her and not violate her friend's mental space?
[] [.8x] Perhaps, if she really is not quite a Sleeper (though not quite not one either), she could be told about this. Or confronted to see if she knows anything? Of course, it could go really bad, especially without proof, but it would be open, direct, and honest.
[] [1.2x] Go with Uncle Jack to her mind, and they can both look for signs, figure out more about it, while she gets a little bit of a lesson in such things. Learning more about what Astral Demons are and what it means for her friend with someone who knows what he's doing could be the best option, if she's willing to take the time to do it.
[] [1.4x] At the same time, that'd take time to find the time in his schedule, and it would involve showing off her best friend's mind to someone she might not be comfortable with reading it. Miriam had been fine with her Uncle in her head, but there were plenty of things--or so she'd been able to guess--that a young girl might not want a random adult guy to see. Or something. It was something of a mystery to Miriam. But she's also curious to check it out herself. So she could just go on herself, and look around. Try to get a feel for what it is, and hopefully figure it out on her own.

******

1/5th Arcane XP

Two Rotes available for purchase a little bit later on in the week.

One is Mental Scan, but specifically targeted for psychosis/mental illnesses, as well as emotional states and mental things, and thus it cannot look for, say, desires. Damn open source Rotes. But it's still a pretty good deal, no? It plays off of her Promising High School Student Aspect, -2 for the unfamiliar subject matter. So on top of being Rote, and thus having 5 Reach to play with, it gets a 2-dot Yantra. Combine with a path tool and the dice pool goes from 2 dice to 5 dice.

The other is just plain old One Mind, Two Thoughts, based on the same understanding of psychology as before. It thus is a 2-dice Yantra, and the gesture involves an action of splitting, almost.

Neither can be purchased just yet, nor can the Life Rotes that she'll also look at (though that's partially because she doesn't have Life), but will be available later. So mark your calenders!

Learning the Rotes: 2 sux

Extracting Principles: 3-2sux=1 sux

Doing Magic:

1 (Gnosis)+1 (Mind)+1 (Yantra)=3 dice=2 sux

1 Reach for instant, one reach for distance, 1 reach for scene long which means two dice of Paradox to roll…

And failure, luckily.

A/N: Alright, and so some more learning, some more thinking, that sort of thing!

A little short, but oh well!
 
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[x] [1.4x] At the same time, that'd take time to find the time in his schedule, and it would involve showing off her best friend's mind to someone she might not be comfortable with reading it. Miriam had been fine with her Uncle in her head, but there were plenty of things--or so she'd been able to guess--that a young girl might not want a random adult guy to see. Or something. It was something of a mystery to Miriam. But she's also curious to check it out herself. So she could just go on herself, and look around. Try to get a feel for what it is, and hopefully figure it out on her own.
 
[x] [1.4x] At the same time, that'd take time to find the time in his schedule, and it would involve showing off her best friend's mind to someone she might not be comfortable with reading it. Miriam had been fine with her Uncle in her head, but there were plenty of things--or so she'd been able to guess--that a young girl might not want a random adult guy to see. Or something. It was something of a mystery to Miriam. But she's also curious to check it out herself. So she could just go on herself, and look around. Try to get a feel for what it is, and hopefully figure it out on her own.
 
[x] [1.4x] At the same time, that'd take time to find the time in his schedule, and it would involve showing off her best friend's mind to someone she might not be comfortable with reading it. Miriam had been fine with her Uncle in her head, but there were plenty of things--or so she'd been able to guess--that a young girl might not want a random adult guy to see. Or something. It was something of a mystery to Miriam. But she's also curious to check it out herself. So she could just go on herself, and look around. Try to get a feel for what it is, and hopefully figure it out on her own.
 
[X] Let it wait for the moment, since it might not mean anything, or rather...perhaps it's best just to be polite with her and not violate her friend's mental space?
 
[X] [1.2x] Go with Uncle Jack to her mind, and they can both look for signs, figure out more about it, while she gets a little bit of a lesson in such things. Learning more about what Astral Demons are and what it means for her friend with someone who knows what he's doing could be the best option, if she's willing to take the time to do it.
 
[x] [1.4x] At the same time, that'd take time to find the time in his schedule, and it would involve showing off her best friend's mind to someone she might not be comfortable with reading it. Miriam had been fine with her Uncle in her head, but there were plenty of things--or so she'd been able to guess--that a young girl might not want a random adult guy to see. Or something. It was something of a mystery to Miriam. But she's also curious to check it out herself. So she could just go on herself, and look around. Try to get a feel for what it is, and hopefully figure it out on her own.
 
[X] [1.2x] Go with Uncle Jack to her mind, and they can both look for signs, figure out more about it, while she gets a little bit of a lesson in such things. Learning more about what Astral Demons are and what it means for her friend with someone who knows what he's doing could be the best option, if she's willing to take the time to do it.
 
[X] Let it wait for the moment, since it might not mean anything, or rather...perhaps it's best just to be polite with her and not violate her friend's mental space?
 
[X] [1.2x] Go with Uncle Jack to her mind, and they can both look for signs, figure out more about it, while she gets a little bit of a lesson in such things. Learning more about what Astral Demons are and what it means for her friend with someone who knows what he's doing could be the best option, if she's willing to take the time to do it.
 
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